Using the web validator#
The web validator is the primary interface to the validator, hosted at https://bids-standard.github.io/bids-validator/
To validate a dataset, click the “Select Dataset Files” and select a directory to validate.
The directory must contain a dataset_description.json to be identified as a BIDS dataset.
When you select a directory, you will get a permission prompt, verifying that you want to provide access to the directory.
At present (November 2024), Firefox browsers present the request to “Upload” data, while Chromium-based browsers (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and others) request permission to “view files”. In both cases, confirming allows the Javascript application to read the files and perform validation, but those files are never sent to a remote server.
The Legacy Validator#
The current BIDS Validator is a complete rewrite of the original BIDS Validator, based on the BIDS Schema. The original validator, now called the “legacy validator”, can be found at https://bids-standard.github.io/legacy-validator/.
It is not recommended to use this validator, as it will become increasingly out-of-date, but it may be useful for comparative purposes.